﻿​Taking the stage before a band two decades old about to perform at a major venue less than thirty miles from their hometown is no easy feat. Eric Hutchinson rose to the challenge and delivered a wildly impressive show.

In a quick preview of his upcoming “Anyone Who Knows Me” tour, Eric Hutchinson opened for O.A.R. at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD on Saturday. To fans’ delight he debuted new songs in anticipation of the release of his new album “Easy Street” on August 26th. More songs will be featured on the tour, which begins in Connecticut on September 14th and winds cross country before ending back in Maryland and DC in early November.

His set included crowd favorite Watching You Watch Me alongside new songs Lost in Paradise and Anyone Who Knows Me. The pavilion and full lawn – packed with evidently die-hard fans as well as new converts – sang along with Eric on major hit Rock & Roll: “if she wants to rock she rocks, if she wants to roll she rolls…”

Eric thrilled fans when he hopped off the stage to dance with the crowd down in front. He then walked all the way out of the pavilion, high-fiving fans in both aisles and climbing over the barricade out into the lawn, singing flawlessly the entire time.

He kept the crowd in his hands as he wrapped up his set: “We have a few more minutes…are you guys ready?” He challenged Elliott Blaufuss, lead guitarist of his touring band, The Believers, to a duel, trading and matching lines on guitar and vocals. From this Eric traded lines with the audience ranging from DJ Kool – “Now when I say hey, you say ha” – to 50 Cent – “Go shorty, it’s your birthday, we gon’ party like it’s your birthday.”

Displaying a bit of seemingly uncharacteristic hubris, he said, “So, fans are always asking to hang out with me after the show.” We immediately envisioned a Maryland bar crawl, so I chugged the rest of my water bottle to prepare. Instead, he followed with an entertaining rundown of his social media accounts, including his Grindr (@EricHutchinson): “I’m trying to get to one million Instagram followers. Right now I’m at 34k – help me out!”

They say you shouldn’t go into business with someone you wouldn’t have a beer with. They don’t say that about going to concerts, but I’d have many beers with Eric Hutchinson. The performance was captivating, the lyrics soulful, the band talented. If this is his show as an opener, his tour is set to be unbelievable.

Follow him on Twitter and Instagram – and help him hit the big 1 million: @EricHutchinson. And check out his tour dates online at EricHutchinson.com.